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Excel 2016 Pivot Table Data Crunching (includes Content Update Program)

Bill Jelen

Michael Alexander

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Description

A practical, realistic, easy-to-understand guide to Excel's most powerful and underutilized features: PivotTables and PivotCharts. Even for students who have never created a pivot table before, this book will help them leverage all their amazing flexibility and analytical power. Drawing on more than 40 combined years of Excel experience, Bill Jelen and Michael Alexander offer practical “recipes” for solving real business problems, help learners avoid common mistakes, and present tips and tricks found nowhere else.

Features

Fully updated for Excel 2016, including the powerful new Recommended Pivot Table features
Teaches PivotTables, PivotCharts, and PowerPivot through real-world scenarios that make intuitive sense to users at all levels
Includes proven PivotTable recipes for instant on-the-job results
Helps Excel users avoid common pitfalls and mistakes
Part of the popular MrExcel's Library series, edited by Excel legend Bill Jelen

What You Will Learn from This Book .................................................................1
What Is New in Excel 2016’s Pivot Tables ...............................................................2
Skills Required to Use This Book .........................................................................3
Invention of the Pivot Table........................................................................4
Sample Files Used in This Book ...........................................................6
Conventions Used in This Book ............................................................6
    Referring to Versions ..............................................................................7
    Referring to Ribbon Commands.................................................7
    Special Elements .....................................................................7

1 Pivot Table Fundamentals ............................................ 9
Defining a Pivot Table .................................................................9
Why You Should Use a Pivot Table .............................................10
    Advantages of Using a Pivot Table .........................................11
When to Use a Pivot Table ......................................................12
Anatomy of a Pivot Table .........................................................12
    Values Area ...........................................................................12
    Rows Area........................................................................................13
    Columns Area ...................................................................14
    Filters Area ........................................................................14
Pivot Tables Behind the Scenes ..........................................14
Pivot Table Backward Compatibility .................................................15
    A Word About Compatibility .................................................16
Next Steps............................................................................17

2 Creating a Basic Pivot Table ........................................19
Preparing Data for Pivot Table Reporting ..............................................19
    Ensuring That Data Is in a Tabular Layout..........................................20
    Avoiding Storing Data in Section Headings ...................................20
    Avoiding Repeating Groups as Columns .............................................21
    Eliminating Gaps and Blank Cells in the Data Source ...............................22
    Applying Appropriate Type Formatting to Fields .......................................22
    Summary of Good Data Source Design ........................................22
How to Create a Basic Pivot Table ......................................................24
    Adding Fields to a Report .......................................................26
    Fundamentals of Laying Out a Pivot Table Report ........................................27
    Adding Layers to a Pivot Table ...........................................................28
    Rearranging a Pivot Table ...........................................................29
    Creating a Report Filter.......................................................31
Understanding the Recommended Pivot Table Feature...........................31
Using Slicers ......................................................................................33
    Creating a Standard Slicer ............................................................33
    Creating a Timeline Slicer ...............................................................36
Keeping Up with Changes in the Data Source .............................................39
    Dealing with Changes Made to the Existing Data Source ............................39
    Dealing with an Expanded Data Source Range Due to the Addition of Rows or Columns ..............39
Sharing the Pivot Cache .........................................40
Saving Time with New Pivot Table Tools ............................................41
    Deferring Layout Updates ......................................................41
    Starting Over with One Click ..................................................42
    Relocating a Pivot Table .................................................43
Next Steps.......................................................................43

3 Customizing a Pivot Table ................................................45
Making Common Cosmetic Changes .................................................46
    Applying a Table Style to Restore Gridlines ............................................47
    Changing the Number Format to Add Thousands Separators ....................................48
    Replacing Blanks with Zeros .........................................49
    Changing a Field Name .....................................................51
Making Report Layout Changes ..........................................52
    Using the Compact Layout .............................................52
    Using the Outline Layout ...................................................54
    Using the Traditional Tabular Layout ...........................................55
    Controlling Blank Lines, Grand Totals, and Other Settings ....................................57
Customizing a Pivot Table’s Appearance with Styles and Themes ......................................60
    Customizing a Style .................................................................61
    Modifying Styles with Document Themes ........................................62
Changing Summary Calculations ....................................................63
    Understanding Why One Blank Cell Causes a Count ..............................63
    Using Functions Other Than Count or Sum ...............................65
Adding and Removing Subtotals ....................................................65
    Suppressing Subtotals with Many Row Fields ...........................................66
    Adding Multiple Subtotals for One Field .......................................67
Changing the Calculation in a Value Field .......................................67
    Showing Percentage of Total .........................................................70
    Using % Of to Compare One Line to Another Line ......................................71
    Showing Rank ..........................................................................71
    Tracking Running Total and Percentage of Running Total .............................72
    Displaying a Change from a Previous Field ..........................................................73
    Tracking the Percentage of a Parent Item ..............................................73
    Tracking Relative Importance with the Index Option ...................................74
Next Steps...............................................................75

4 Grouping, Sorting, and Filtering Pivot Data ..........................77
Automatically Grouping Dates ...................................................77
    Undoing Automatic Grouping ...........................................78
    Understanding How Excel 2016 Decides What to Group ...................................78
    Grouping Date Fields Manually ....................................................79
    Including Years When Grouping by Months ....................................80
    Grouping Date Fields by Week ...............................................81
    Grouping Numeric Fields ............................................82
Using the PivotTable Fields List ..............................................85
    Docking and Undocking the PivotTable Fields List ................................87
    Rearranging the PivotTable Fields List...................................87
    Using the Areas Section Drop-Downs ..................................88
Sorting in a Pivot Table ................................................89
    Sorting Customers into High-to-Low Sequence Based on Revenue ..................89
    Using a Manual Sort Sequence ..............................................92
    Using a Custom List for Sorting ..................................................93
Filtering a Pivot Table: An Overview ...................................................95
Using Filters for Row and Column Fields .........................................96
    Filtering Using the Check Boxes ..................................................96
    Filtering Using the Search Box ......................................................97
    Filtering Using the Label Filters Option ......................................98
    Filtering a Label Column Using Information in a Values Column ..........................99
    Creating a Top-Five Report Using the Top 10 Filter ...........................................101
    Filtering Using the Date Filters in the Label Drop-down .........................................103
Filtering Using the Filters Area ................................104
    Adding Fields to the Filters Area .............................................104
    Choosing One Item from a Filter ...................................................105
    Choosing Multiple Items from a Filter ....................................................105
    Replicating a Pivot Table Report for Each Item in a Filter ............................................105
    Filtering Using Slicers and Timelines .........................................107
    Using Timelines to Filter by Date .....................................................109
    Driving Multiple Pivot Tables from One Set of Slicers .......................................110
Next Steps......................................................................................112

5 Performing Calculations in Pivot Tables ...........................113
Introducing Calculated Fields and Calculated Items ............................................113
    Method 1: Manually Add a Calculated Field to the Data Source ..........................114
    Method 2: Use a Formula Outside a Pivot Table to Create a Calculated Field .............................115
    Method 3: Insert a Calculated Field Directly into a Pivot Table ............................116
Creating a Calculated Field ...................................116
Creating a Calculated Item ...........................................124
Understanding the Rules and Shortcomings of Pivot Table Calculations ..................127
    Remembering the Order of Operator Precedence ......................................128
    Using Cell References and Named Ranges ...........................................129
    Using Worksheet Functions ....................................................................129
    Using Constants ...........................................................................129
    Referencing Totals ..........................................................................129
    Rules Specific to Calculated Fields ......................................................129
    Rules Specific to Calculated Items ...........................................................131
Managing and Maintaining Pivot Table Calculations ......................................131
    Editing and Deleting Pivot Table Calculations ......................................131
    Changing the Solve Order of Calculated Items .........................................132
    Documenting Formulas ........................................................133
Next Steps............................................................................134

6 Using Pivot Charts and Other Visualizations .........................135
What Is a Pivot Chart...Really? ..........................................................135
Creating a Pivot Chart ..........................................................136
    Understanding Pivot Field Buttons ..............................................138
Keeping Pivot Chart Rules in Mind ....................................................139
    Changes in the Underlying Pivot Table Affect a Pivot Chart .................................139
    Placement of Data Fields in a Pivot Table Might Not Be Best Suited for a Pivot Chart .....................139
    A Few Formatting Limitations Still Exist in Excel 2016 ..................................141
Examining Alternatives to Using Pivot Charts .......................................................145
    Method 1: Turn the Pivot Table into Hard Values ...................................145
    Method 2: Delete the Underlying Pivot Table ..........................................146
    Method 3: Distribute a Picture of the Pivot Chart ....................................146
    Method 4: Use Cells Linked Back to the Pivot Table as the Source Data for the Chart .............147
Using Conditional Formatting with Pivot Tables ...............................................149
    An Example of Using Conditional Formatting ...........................................149
    Preprogrammed Scenarios for Condition Levels ........................................151
Creating Custom Conditional Formatting Rules .............................................152
Next Steps...................................................................................................156

7 Analyzing Disparate Data Sources with Pivot Tables ................................157
Using the Internal Data Model ..................................................158
    Building Out Your First Data Model ............................................................158
    Managing Relationships in the Data Model ......................................162
    Adding a New Table to the Data Model .................................................163
    Removing a Table from the Data Model ...................................................165
    Creating a New Pivot Table Using the Data Model ........................................166
    Limitations of the Internal Data Model ...............................................................167
Building a Pivot Table Using External Data Sources .............................................168
    Building a Pivot Table with Microsoft Access Data....................................................169
    Building a Pivot Table with SQL Server Data ......................................................171
Leveraging Power Query to Extract and Transform Data .............................................174
    Power Query Basics..................................................................175
    Understanding Query Steps ..........................................................181
    Refreshing Power Query Data ....................................................183
    Managing Existing Queries ................................................................183
    Understanding Column-Level Actions ............................................185
    Understanding Table Actions ..........................................................187
    Power Query Connection Types ......................................................188
Next Steps..........................................................................................192

8 Sharing Pivot Tables with Others ........................................193
Designing a Workbook as an Interactive Web Page .......................................................193
Sharing a Link to a Web Workbook ................................................................196
Sharing with Power BI ...............................................................................196
    Preparing Data for Power BI ...........................................................197
    Importing Data to Power BI .........................................................................197
    Building a Report in Power BI ...................................................199
    Using Q&A to Query Data ........................................................200
    Sharing Your Dashboard ..............................................................202
Next Steps........................................................................202

9 Working with and Analyzing OLAP Data ..........................203
Introduction to OLAP .............................................................................203
Connecting to an OLAP Cube .....................................................204
Understanding the Structure of an OLAP Cube ...................................................207
Understanding the Limitations of OLAP Pivot Tables .........................................208
Creating an Offline Cube ...................................................209
Breaking Out of the Pivot Table Mold with Cube Functions ................................211
    Exploring Cube Functions ............................................................212
Adding Calculations to OLAP Pivot Tables .....................................................213
    Creating Calculated Measures ............................................................214
    Creating Calculated Members ..................................................217
    Managing OLAP Calculations ............................................................220
    Performing What-If Analysis with OLAP Data .....................................220
Next Steps...............................................................................222

10 Mashing Up Data with Power Pivot ...................................223
Understanding the Benefits and Drawbacks of Power Pivot and the Data Model ............223
    Merging Data from Multiple Tables Without Using VLOOKUP ..................................223
    Importing 100 Million Rows into a Workbook .....................................................224
    Creating Better Calculations Using the DAX Formula Language ...........................224
    Other Benefits of the Power Pivot Data Model in All Editions of Excel .........................224
    Benefits of the Full Power Pivot Add-in with Excel Pro Plus ...................................225
    Understanding the Limitations of the Data Model .................................225
Joining Multiple Tables Using the Data Model in Regular Excel 2016 ..............................226
    Preparing Data for Use in the Data Model ..................................227
    Adding the First Table to the Data Model ...................................................228
    Adding the Second Table and Defining a Relationship ......................................229
    Tell Me Again–Why Is This Better Than Doing a VLOOKUP? ..............................230
    Creating a New Pivot Table from an Existing Data Model ....................................232
    Getting a Distinct Count ...........................................................232
Using the Power Pivot Add-in Excel 2016 Pro Plus .....................................234
    Enabling Power Pivot ....................................................................234
    Importing a Text File Using Power Query ............................................235
    Adding Excel Data by Linking ..................................................................236
    Defining Relationships ...........................................................................236
    Adding Calculated Columns Using DAX ......................................................237
    Building a Pivot Table ....................................................................237
Understanding Differences Between Power Pivot and Regular Pivot Tables ............................238
Using DAX Calculations .............................................................239
    Using DAX Calculations for Calculated Columns ................................................239
    Using DAX to Create a Calculated Field in a Pivot Table ...........................240
    Filtering with DAX Calculated Fields ...............................................240
    Defining a DAX Calculated Field ..................................................240
    Using Time Intelligence .............................................................242
Next Steps.....................................................................................243

11 Dashboarding with Power View and 3D Map ..........................245
Preparing Data for Power View ....................................................245
Creating a Power View Dashboard .............................................................247
    Every New Dashboard Element Starts as a Table ................................................249
    Subtlety Should Be Power View’s Middle Name .........................................249
    Converting a Table to a Chart .............................................................250
    Adding Drill-down to a Chart ........................................251
    Beginning a New Element by Dragging a Field to a Blank Spot on the Canvas ..............252
    Filtering One Chart with Another One ...............................................252
    Adding a Real Slicer ..............................................................................253
    Understanding the Filters Pane ..................................................................254
    Using Tile Boxes to Filter a Chart or a Group of Charts .....................................255
Replicating Charts Using Multiples .................................................256
Showing Data on a Map......................................................257
Using Images ..........................................................................258
Changing a Calculation ..........................................................................259
Animating a Scatter Chart over Time .............................................259
Some Closing Tips on Power View ......................................................261
Analyzing Geographic Data with 3D Map ................................................261
    Preparing Data for 3D Map ............................................261
    Geocoding Data .........................................................................262
    Building a Column Chart in 3D Map ...............................................264
    Navigating Through the Map.......................................................264
    Labeling Individual Points ....................................................................266
    Building Pie or Bubble Charts on a Map............................266
    Using Heat Maps and Region Maps ........................................266
    Exploring 3D Map Settings ............................................................267
    Fine-Tuning 3D Map .....................................................................268
    Animating Data over Time ........................................................269
    Building a Tour ................................................................................270
    Creating a Video from 3D Map...................................................271
Next Steps.........................................................................274

12 Enhancing Pivot Table Reports with Macros ................275
Why Use Macros with Pivot Table Reports ................................275
Recording a Macro ..................................................................276
Creating a User Interface with Form Controls .................................278
Altering a Recorded Macro to Add Functionality.................................280
Inserting a Scrollbar Form Control ............................................281
Next Steps......................................................288

13 Using VBA to Create Pivot Tables.................................289
Enabling VBA in Your Copy of Excel .....................................289
Using a File Format That Enables Macros ..................................290
Visual Basic Editor .................................................................291
Visual Basic Tools .........................................................291
The Macro Recorder ..................................................................292
Understanding Object-Oriented Code ................................................292
Learning Tricks of the Trade ........................................................293
    Writing Code to Handle a Data Range of Any Size ..............................293
    Using Super-Variables: Object Variables .................................................294
    Using With and End With to Shorten Code ................................................295
Understanding Versions .....................................................................295
Building a Pivot Table in Excel VBA ......................................296
    Adding Fields to the Data Area ..............................................................298
    Formatting the Pivot Table ..........................................................299
Dealing with Limitations of Pivot Tables .................................................301
    Filling Blank Cells in the Data Area ....................................................301
    Filling Blank Cells in the Row Area ............................................302
    Preventing Errors from Inserting or Deleting Cells ...............................302
    Controlling Totals ................................................................302
    Converting a Pivot Table to Values .................................................304
Pivot Table 201: Creating a Report Showing Revenue by Category ..............307
    Ensuring That Tabular Layout Is Utilized....................................309
    Rolling Daily Dates Up to Years ........................................309
    Eliminating Blank Cells .............................................................311
    Controlling the Sort Order with AutoSort .........................................312
    Changing the Default Number Format ................................................312
    Suppressing Subtotals for Multiple Row Fields ...............................313
    Handling Final Formatting .............................................................................315
    Adding Subtotals to Get Page Breaks ..............................................315
    Putting It All Together .........................................................317
Calculating with a Pivot Table .............................................................................319
    Addressing Issues with Two or More Data Fields ..................................319
    Using Calculations Other Than Sum ............................................................321
    Using Calculated Data Fields ......................................................323
    Using Calculated Items .................................................................324
    Calculating Groups ..........................................................................326
    Using Show Values As to Perform Other Calculations ...................................327
Using Advanced Pivot Table Techniques .......................................329
    Using AutoShow to Produce Executive Overviews .........................................329
    Using ShowDetail to Filter a Recordset ..............................................332
    Creating Reports for Each Region or Model ................................................334
    Manually Filtering Two or More Items in a Pivot Field .....................................338
    Using the Conceptual Filters .................................................339
    Using the Search Filter .....................................................................342
    Setting Up Slicers to Filter a Pivot Table .............................................343
Using the Data Model in Excel 2016 ...................................................345
    Adding Both Tables to the Data Model ..................................................346
    Creating a Relationship Between the Two Tables ............................................346
    Defining the Pivot Cache and Building the Pivot Table ........................................347
    Adding Model Fields to the Pivot Table ........................................................348
    Adding Numeric Fields to the Values Area ......................................348
    Putting It All Together ......................................................349
Next Steps....................................................................351

14 Advanced Pivot Table Tips and Techniques .....................353
Tip 1: Force Pivot Tables to Refresh Automatically........................................353
Tip 2: Refresh All Pivot Tables in a Workbook at the Same Time ...................................354
Tip 3: Sort Data Items in a Unique Order, Not Ascending or Descending ....................355
Tip 4: Turn Pivot Tables into Hard Data .............................................355
Tip 5: Fill the Empty Cells Left by Row Fields .........................................356
    Option 1: Implement the Repeat All Data Items Feature ..................................356
    Option 2: Use Excel’s Go To Special Functionality ..............................357
Tip 6: Add a Rank Number Field to a Pivot Table ...........................359
Tip 7: Reduce the Size of Pivot Table Reports .........................360
    Delete the Source Data Worksheet ......................................360
Tip 8: Create an Automatically Expanding Data Range .................................361
Tip 9: Compare Tables Using a Pivot Table ..........................361
Tip 10: AutoFilter a Pivot Table .............................................363
Tip 11: Force Two Number Formats in a Pivot Table ..................................364
Tip 12: Create a Frequency Distribution with a Pivot Table ..................................366
Tip 13: Use a Pivot Table to Explode a Data Set to Different Tabs .................... 367

Tip 14: Apply Restrictions on Pivot Tables and Pivot Fields .........................................368
Pivot Table Restrictions ......................................................368
Pivot Field Restrictions ...................................................370
Tip 15: Use a Pivot Table to Explode a Data Set to Different Workbooks .....................372
Next Steps..................................................................373

15 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. GetPivotData ...................................................375
Avoiding the Evil GetPivotData Problem ..........................................................376
    Preventing GetPivotData by Typing the Formula..................................379
    Simply Turning Off GetPivotData ..................................................379
    Speculating on Why Microsoft Forced GetPivotData on Us ............................380
Using GetPivotData to Solve Pivot Table Annoyances .........................381
    Building an Ugly Pivot Table .............................................382
    Building the Shell Report ..............................................................385
    Using GetPivotData to Populate the Shell Report ..........................387
    Updating the Report in Future Months ..................................390
Conclusion .................................................................391

Index .......................................393

Resources

Instructor Resources

PowerPoints for Excel 2016 Pivot Table Data Crunching (includes Content Update Program)
Jelen & Syrstad
©2016

Format	On-line Supplement
ISBN-13:	9780134291772
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Excel 2016 Pivot Table Data Crunching (includes Content Update Program) -- Access Code
Jelen & Alexander
©2016

Format	Digital Access Code
ISBN-13:	9780134750071
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Minitab Express for PC Study Card
Pearson Education
©2017

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Excel 2016 Study Card for Business Statistics
Pearson Education
©2017

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Excel 2013 with Data Analysis Toolpak Videos for Business Statistics, Business Statistics, 3rd Edition
Sharpe, De Veaux & Velleman
©2015

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ISBN-13:	9780321986276
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Jelen & Alexander

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About the Author(s)

Bill Jelen , Excel MVP and the host of MrExcel.com, has been using spreadsheets since 1985, and he launched the MrExcel.com website in 1998. Bill was a regular guest on Call for Help with Leo Laporte and has produced more than 1,900 episodes of his daily video podcast, Learn Excel from MrExcel. He is the author of 49 books about Microsoft Excel and writes the monthly Excel column for Strategic Finance magazine. Before founding MrExcel.com, Bill Jelen spent 12 years in the trenches, working as a financial analyst for the finance, marketing, accounting, and operations departments of a $500 million public
company. He lives in Merritt Island, Florida, with his wife, Mary Ellen.

Mike Alexander is a Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD) and author of several books on advanced business analysis with Microsoft Access and Excel. He has more than 15 years of experience consulting and developing Office solutions. Mike has been named a Microsoft MVP for his ongoing contributions to the Excel community. In his spare time, he runs a free tutorial site, www.datapigtechnologies.com, where he shares basic Access and Excel tips to the Office community.

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